Grandma and I went for a drive down Cub River Canyon today. There’s a waterfall in one of the canyons, where she remembers my grandpa proposing, so we went exploring (we did not find the waterfall). As much as I love autumn when the leaves are at peak color and vibrancy, I may love the late stage right at the cusp of winter more – when the leaves are struggling to stay on and the contrast between the pale, white branches and the fallen leaves is stark. It was especially gorgeous today, because it is starting to get cold, and there was just a touch of snow that had fallen.

There was a fork in the road about halfway down the canyon – with a road that lead to Mink Creek, about 12 miles north. I had the brainy idea to take that fork on the way back. The nicely grated 2 lane road dwindled very quickly to a rocky, bumpy lane – with no place to turn around. There was a little more snow on the road, and about a 500-1000 foot drop on the edge of that lane. Grandma worried the whole way down, while I prayed for no flat tires because I wasn’t sure if we’d ever be found. The little Kia Soul that I rented did beautifully though (I think it had big dreams of being an SUV and just wanted to show off).

I got some absolutely gorgeous pictures, so it was definitely worth it.